Gate-operating mechanism.



H. L. COATS.

GATE OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14, 1909.

Patented Mar. 1, 1910.

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GATE OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14, 1909 Patented Mar. 1, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

AMIREW a GRINAM .n. Pwrc-mnowmmms, WASH UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY L. COATS, OF MOSCOW, IDAHO.

GATE-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Application filed September 14, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IIENRY L. Con'rs, citizen of the United States,residing at Moscow, in the county of Latah and State of Idaho, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Grate-OperatingMechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in gatesfor highways, of that class which are designed to be operated at adistance when approaching the gate from either side, without thenecessity of alighting from a vehicle, and the invention has for itsprimary object a simple, durable and efficient construction of device ofthat character which will embody few and simple parts that may becheaply manufactured and easily assembled.

The invention also has for its object a gate of this type which embodiesa pair of tilting rail carrying beams and a gate proper suspendedtherefrom and arranged to roll along the rails in one direction or theother according to the direction in which the beams are tilted, theparts being so correlated that an actuation of the hand controllingdevices will open the gate, if the gate be closed, close the gate, ifthe gate be open, no matter in what direction the operator isapproaching the gate, thereby doing away with the necessity ofindependent opening and closing devices.

\Vith these and other objects in view as will more fully appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions,arrangements and combinations of the parts that will be hereinafterfully described and claimed.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to thefollowing description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a gate constructed in accordance withmy invention; Fig. 2 is a face view thereof; and Fig. 3 is a detailperspective view of some of the operating parts hereinafter specificallydescribed.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 1, 1910.

Serial No. 517,661.

Referring to the drawing, the letter A designates the gate proper whichof itself may be of any desired size, construction or design, except ashereinafter noted, the same in the present instance embodying spacedstandards 1, a lower sill 2, an intermediate sill 3 and an upper sill4t, the said sills being secured at their ends to the standards 1 in anydesired way, as by the angle brackets shown. The gate may be filled outin any desired way between the lower sill 2 and intermediate sill 3, asby line wires 5 and braces 6.

To the upper ends of the standards 1 roller hangers 7 are connected, thesame being mounted upon rails S in such a manner that the rollers willnot become derailed. The rails 8 are two in number, as shown, and aresecured in any desired way, respectively, to beams 9 and 10, the samebeing pivotally connected intermediate of their ends, as indicated at 11to a horizontally disposed supporting beam 12 which is in turn supportedby the spaced posts 12,, 14c and 20. Preferably, the rails are slopednear their ends, as clearly illustrated in the drawings, whereby thegate will tend to slow up at the limit of its movement. The tiltingbeams 9 and 10 are limited in their tilting movements about horizontalaxes in one direction, preferably by iron supports 15 attached to thesupporting beam 12 on both sides of the center post 20. In addition tothese iron supports 1.5 I may employ stop blocks 15 which project outfrom the posts 13 and 14 near the upper end thereof, and which alsoserve the additional function of stops for the gate A.

The adjoining ends of the beams 9 and 10 are connected together by meansof a chain or other flexible bond 16, said bond extending over a pulley17 depending from the projecting end of a horizontally disposed bar 18supported at one end on a post 19 and at its other end on a post 20, thelatter post being set substantially in alinement with the posts 13 and14. By this means it is evident that when the inner end of one beam isdepressed. the corresponding end of the other beam will be lowered.

Bracket irons 2] are connected to the adjoining ends of the respectivebeams 9 and 10. Each of these bracket irons is formed with a laterallyand upwardly projecting recessed hook 22. Hanger rods 23 are formed attheir upper ends with hooks 24 by which they are designed to be hunginto the recessed hooks 22 of the irons 21, the free suspended positionof said hanger rods being such that arms 25 secured to their lower endsand projecting laterally therefrom as shown, will be held in position totake under and be engaged by the laterally projecting finger 26 which isformed on the upper end of a pull rod 27. This pull rod 27 is mountedfor a vertical movement in guide straps 28 secured to the intermediatepost 20. The arms 25 are adjustably mounted on the lower ends of therespective hanger rods 23, as shown, being held at the proper positionthereon by nuts 29 screwing on the lower threaded extremities of therods and whereby the arms may be raised or lowered relative to theircorresponding rod so as to be properly engaged by the finger 26 in thedownward movement of the pull rod 27. Between the nuts 29 and the arms25 curved guides 30 are secured, the same being preferably strips ofband iron or the like, one portion of which is substantially straight soas to be clamped between the arm and the nut, while the other portioncurves downwardly underneath the lower extremity of the rod 23. Theseguides 30 are designed to prevent the interference of one rod 23 by theother when one rod is pulled downwardly by the hanger rod 27 and theother is raised by being carried up by the inner end of the beam towhich it is secured.

The rod 27 is pivotally connected intermediate of its ends to a link 31,the manner of attachment in the present instance consisting of anoff-set end formed on the link passing through the loop 32 of the pullrod. The lower end of the link 31 is pivotally connected to an actuatinglever which is fulcrumed nearer one end than the other, as at 33, on theside of the post 20, the preponderance of weight of said lever being inthe rear of its pivot so that its forward end will tend to moveupwardly. The rear arm of the lever 32 has movement within a verticalguideway 34 with which the post 19 is provided, as shown. The rearextremity of the lever 32" projects through and beyond this guideway andhas actuating cords or cables 35 connected to it. These cables extendupwardlyfrom the lever and pass in opposite directions over pulleys 36supported by the bar 18. One cable extends forwardly and passesdownwardly over a pulley 37 supported by a cross arm 38 on the upper endof a post 39. The other cable extends rearwardly and passes over acorresponding pulley 40 carried by a cross arm 41 mounted upon a post42, said posts 39 and 42 being arranged at opposite sides of the gateand at any required distance there from. Hand-holds 43 of any desiredchar acter are secured to the outer free end of the respective cables35.

In order to latch the gate to prevent its accidental movement after ithas reached its fully opened or closed position, the posts 20 and 14 areprovided with latches 44 designed to engage a keeper 45 secured to thestandard 1 of the gate A. In order to remove all jar when the gatereaches the limit of its movement in either direction, the lower ends ofthe standards 1 are oppo sitely beveled, as indicated at 46, these beveled ends being adapted to engage with bevel surfaces 47 formed on ablock which projects from the lower end of the middle post 20. The gateis guided in its movement at its lower end by vertically disposedrollers 48 one of which is journaled in suitable brackets secured to thepost 20 near the lower end thereof and the other of which is journaledin brackets secured to a rela-.

tion with the accompanying drawings, the

operation of my improved gate actuating mechanism will be apparent. Inthe practical use of the invention, when a person approaching the gatefrom either direction, in a vehicle say, arrives at either the post 39or post 42, it will only be necessary to pull downwardly upon one of thehand holds 43 which will draw upon the corresponding cable 35 and causethe actuating lever 32 to rock about its axis 33 in a direction to pulldownwardly upon the link 31. Through the instrumentality of this link,the rod 27 will be pulled downwardly and its upper bent extremity orfinger 26 will engage whichever of the fingers 25 happens to beuppermost at the time. This will, of course, rock both of the beams inthe same direction so as to cause the gate to roll. In the exampleassumed, it is manifest that the gate will move toward the open positionand as soon as the operator has driven through the gateway and reachedthe opposite handhold, it is only necessary to again pull downwardlyupon the latter and a reverse movement of the gate will be effected, thepull rod 27 acting upon the hanger rods 23 alternately, the same passingeach other in their upward and downward movement without anyinterference between them, owing to the guides 30. At the limit of theirmovement one of them will be thrust underneath the finger 26 so that asubsequent actuation of the lever and a consequent downward movement ofthe pull rod 27 will pull dmvnwardly upon the hanger rod 23 which isthen uppermost and will reverse the parts and likewise cause the gate tomove in a direction opposite to that in the preceding operation.

Further describing the operation of the device, it is to be noted thatthe pull rod 27 is guided for movement in a true vertical plane, whilethe hanger rods 23 are so arranged that they will tend to swing towardeach other and assume inclined or oblique positions as illustrated bestin Fig. 2. Hence as the pull rod 27 is moved downwardly with its finger26 in engagement with one of the arms 25, it will move down below theupper end of the guide 30 of the other arm which other arm after theguide has been operated will have become the uppermost arm of the two.Subsequently then, when the pull rod 27 is released, and is movedupwardly again, it will push aside the curved guide of the arm which isthen uppermost and finally when the finger 26 is at a sutiicientelevation, such arm will swing inwardly underneath it preparatory tobeing engaged by said linger at the next operation of the pull rod.

Having thus described the invention, whatis claimed as new is:

1. In gate operating mechanism, the combination of a gate, suspendingmeans therefor including rails along which the gate is adapted to roll,tiltable beams to which said rails are connected, a connection betweensaid beams whereby they will both tilt in the same direction, and meansarranged to be actuated from a distance and connected to each of saidbeams alternately and arranged to tilt the beams in a direction to movethe gate to a closed position when the gate is opened and in a directionto move the gate to an open position when the gate is closed.

2. In gate operating mechanism, the combination of a gate, suspensionmeans therefor including tilting beams arranged when tilted in onedirection to move the gate to ward the open position and when tilted tothe opposite direction arranged to move the gate to a closed position,and means de signed to be actuated from a distance and arranged forconnection to each of said beams alternately, as and for the purpose setforth.

3. In gate operating mechanism, the combination of a gate, suspendingmeans therefor including tiltable beams arranged to tilt in the sameplane, rails carried by said beams and from which rails the gate ishung, and on which it is adapted to roll, whereby the gate will be movedto open or closed po sition according to the direction of tilting thebeams, a connection between the adjoining ends of said beams wherebythey will both move in the same direction when tilted, hanger rodssuspended from the adjoining ends of the beams. and means arranged topull down upon whichever hanger rod is uppermost at the time of theactuation of such beams, whereby the gate will be closed it it is openat the time of such actuation, and be opened it it is closed at suchtime.

t. In gate operating mechanism, the combination of a gate, tiltablysupported beams therefor along which the gate is adapted to move, saidbeams being arranged to tilt in the same plane, a connection between theadjoining ends of the beams whereby they will both tilt in the samedirection when aetuated, hanger rods suspended from the adjoining endsof the respective beams, a vertically movable pull rod, a supporttherefor, the pull rod being arranged when dc pressed to engagewhichever of the two hanger rods is uppermost at the time, an actuatedlever arranged to be operated at a distance, and a connection betweensaid ac tuating lever and said pull rod.

In gate operating mechanism, the combination of a gate, tiltable beamsarranged to tilt in the same plane and supporting said gate, the gatebeing adapted to move along i the beams upon the tilting of the latter,a

connection between the adjoining ends of the beams whereby they willboth move in the same direction when tilted, hanger rods sus pended fromthe adjoining ends of the beams and each provided with a laterallyprojecting arm, a vertically movable pull rod formed with a laterallyprojecting finger adapted to engage the arm of whichever hanger rod isuppermost at the time of the actuation of said pull rod, a support forsaid pull rod, and means for actuating said pull rod at a distance.

(3. In a gate operating mechanism, the combination of a gate, tiltablebeams arranged to tilt in the same plane, the gate being supported byand movable along the beams, and a connection between the beams wherebythey will both move in the same direction when tilted, hanger rodsdepending from the adjoining ends of the beams, said hanger rods beingprovided with laterally projecting arms, a vertically movable pull rodadapted to engage the arm of whichever hanger rod is uppermost at thetime of the actuation of the pull rod, guides secured to the respectivepull rods and arranged to insure the proper passing of the same withoutinterference in the up and down movements of the rods, and means foractuating said pull red at a distance.

7. In a gate operating mechanism, the combination of a gate, tiltablebeams by which said gate is supported and along which it is adapted tomove, a connection between said beams whereby they will both move in thesame direction when tilted, bracket irons connected to the adjoiningends of the respective beams, said bracket irons being formed Withrecessed hooks, hanger rods formed with downwardly facing hooks adaptedto take into the recesses of the first-named hooks whereby the hangerrods are suspended from the beam, a pull rod arranged to engage, Whenactuated,

& 950,659

Whichever of the hanger rods is uppermost 10 at the time, and means foractuating said pull rod at a distance.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

HENRY L. COATS. [n s.] l/Vitnesses:

S. R. H. MGGOWAN, M. J. ATKINS.

